Comparative Analysis of Expression Patterns of the Noggin Gene Family Genes at the Early Development Stages of Head Structures in the European River Lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis

摘要

In the context of studying the mechanisms of early development of the vertebrate nervous system, agnatha (cyclostomata) is a unique group of animals. Since the branches of agnatha (jawless) and gnathostomata were separated at the earliest stages of vertebrate evolution, the genes of lampreys, as representatives of jawless, could most likely retain ancient expression patterns characteristic of the ancestors of vertebrates. Previous studies of the noggin family of gnathostomata have shown that all three vertebrate Noggin genes (Noggin1, Noggin2, and Noggin4) differ in expression pattern and functional properties. It was shown that Noggin genes are involved in a wide range of ontogenetic processes, including the early development of vertebrate anterior head structures and brain regions. In this paper, the expression patterns of four Noggin genes in the head structures of larvae of the European river lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis at the early stages of development are analyzed. The analysis finds a lot of similarities in the gene expression patterns of Noggin in lampreys with the expression of their homologues in gnathostomata. The NogginB gene, showing a high level of expression in the terminal part of the brain (telencephalon), can be used as a specific marker of this unique part of the vertebrate brain, which firstly appears in the evolution of gnathostomata.